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Chelle what a terrific job you've done. My V12 is at the engine builder's shop, and I've decided to put it into a scratch built, tubeframe GT40 replica project. Not exactly being faithful to the blue oval diehards, but it should be a real interesting project. Last time we corresponded, you were thinking about using either the Electromotive or the SDS EMS? Which did you settle on, and how did it work out for you? I'm still planning on dual EMS's and an ITB induction system. Ought to look and sound pretty sweet with 12 intake trumpets. I'm also using the later M73 "stroker" crank, along with a linered early block, and am hoping to get around 5.7-6.0 litres displacement as Jay has done. Really like those billet distributor drive covers you made - did you happen to make an extra set (hint, hint)? John

Several of us over at Lextreme are doing projects now with this motor and planning transplants in our 2JZ-GTE Supras and other platforms. The American market is now discovering this motor, and they can still be had cheaply on eBay as you've discovered. The Aussies and Kiwis are about 10 years ahead of us, and most of the go-fast parts and swap adaptors are available from there. They've put this motor in kit cars, boats, and other platforms. There were two basic versions of this motor, the pre-98 style which has a right side facing intake, and the 98 and after style which has a front facing intake. Both styles have narrow valve angles (about 22 degrees), and both have the six bolt mains. The location of the sumps for the crankcases varies, depending on which car the motor comes from, but it's the same basic motor whether it's in the LS, GS, or SC400. The older style motor is far more plentiful and is what most are using for projects. These are the $500 eBay motors. This motor has a dizzy and a coil for each bank of cylinders, but does have the crank and cam sensors necessary to go full sequential direct fire. These motors have very thin liners, so overboring isn't an option for getting more displacement. Some have looked at relinering, however no one's actually done it yet. Stroking is in its infancy, and the hot rodders are just now starting to mix & match to see what works. Myself, I'm doing a Supra conversion with one of these motors and will have an Eaton M112, pressurising it to about 10 psi. The newer style 1UZ is a VVTi motor, and it does not have as strong a set of rods as the older style motor. The dizzies were eliminated, and a full COP, sequential ignition was provided. Several people in the US are doing turbo projects with this motor, but are going with beefier aftermarket forged rods and pistons. Here is the "family tree" of UZ's: 1UZ: 4.0 litre all aluminum V8 in Lexus only 2UZ: 4.7 litre, aluminum heads, cast iron block Toyota trucks only 3UZ: 4.3 litre, all aluminum, Lexus only 4UZ: ???? rumored to appear soon in the next "Supra" I invite anyone interested in learning more about this very potent motor to join us at www.lextreme.com. John

Guys, I'm a Supra owner, and I must say I've enjoyed reading this thread. Lotta humor and a lotta truth in it. Our beloved MKIV Supra's have now dropped in price to where the wannabe's can afford them, and this is a crowd that hasn't done our image or reputation any favors. I'm a fairly long term Supra fan, and have owned them pretty much continuously since my first MKIII in 1987. It's a car that tripped my trigger from the get go, and I still love them although I could certainly afford newer, flashier, or more comfortable cars. There's just something about how a big single turbo 2JZ nails you to the seat at 4000 rpm on a cool day that lets you know you're probably as close as you'll ever get to being in an F14 on afterburner. It's true, our favorite start is a 3rd gear roll, but jeez, it's only a 3 litre motor with a little turbo so give us a break . Lots of folks that we embarrass have twice the displacement we do. Don't diss the dyno queens too much; there's a lot of money to be made if you can churn out 1000 RWHP on a DynoJet. Try it, you might attract the attention of one of these Sport Import mags and that'll be worth a few thou to you. Most of our long term Supra owners are really decent people. We love our cars just like you do your Z's, but we certainly appreciate fine hotrodding work no matter what the marque is. That's one reason I'm here! John 55 year old engineer '97 MKIV Supra 6spd, T61, AEM, 850cc shooters, cams, and built motor. '94 MKIV Supra A/T with stock turbos tweaked a bit

I've just heard back from AEM and they apparently will have an 8 channel direct fire EMS available sometime in 2006, however if their development program for this one is similar to the original, it will probably be "very" late 2006 or sometime in 2007 before evaluation units are available for their favorite tuners. John

I was hoping the megasquirt would work, but after checking it out, it uses batch fire mode for the injectors, and I'd prefer true sequential mode which the AEM has. "If" the AEM can be modified to offer direct fire ignition, then for $2500 or less you could have a complete 12 cylinder EMS with sequential injection, and direct fire ignition. I just don't know for sure whether two standalone six cylinder ECU's will work, however I can't think of a logical reason why they wouldn't, and in fact this is nearly the way I did it around 20 years ago at Cooper when we were fooling around with the first EMS' for our 12 cylinder industrial engines. John

I too am looking at aftermarket EMS's. I currently run an AEM on my Supra, and a pair of those on this V12 would work out very nicely. Only downside of the AEM is that (at least for the Supra) it is only offered in waste spark mode for the ignition. I'm "told" there's a possibility it can be modified for direct fire, and am currently investigating that with the AEM factory. On the fuel side, it's very capable and can do full sequential injection for up to 10 high impedance injectors. Which EMS are you planning to use? A single 12 channel, or a pair of six cylinder units? John

Thanks Chelle - I see you're doing the BMW motor also. What are your plans for an EMS, or are you going with Webers? Do you happen to know if the intake port pattern and studs match any of the existing 6 cylinder BMW heads and/or if it matches any of the Weber mounting dimensions? That would be a little bit of good luck..... Best, John

Bill, Cabo & Chewievette, thanks for the welcome! I see there are several M70 motors on eBay atm, including one with a broken left hand distributor for only $400, however reserve hasn't been met yet on this one. I'm tempted to spring for one of these, just to learn more about the motor. Any caveats about these motors in general, or using them for the 250 GTO project? I know BMW were plagued with Nikasil problems years ago, but I think the Nikasil problems were confined to the 4's & 6's, as the V12 is already an Alusil block? My intentions would be to pull off the OEM intake system, fabricate custom manifolds and put on either Jenvey or TWMInduction ITB's. A 12 cylinder motor going into a 250 GTO replicar just has to have ITB's and air horns I spent a number of years working for Caterpillar and Cooper Industries in new engine development, so I've got a soft spot for gaseous fuels, and I would like to try and incorporate an LPG SFI type fuel system into this project. John

Hi all, just joined the forum a few days ago and am interested in doing a 250 GTO project. I'm an older guy (55) and know very little about the Z car or chassis, but currently have two modified Supra's in my stable, one or both of which will probably be sold to make room for the GTO project. First choice for power will be the V12 BMW motor, with 2nd choice being the aluminum Lexus V8. The tranny is up in the air, but will probably be a Tremec or Getrag. I've had some preliminary conversations with Tom McBurnie of Thunder Ranch on his kit, and a shop he recommended in Prescott, AZ to do the work. I would appreciate the list's recommendations on not only the best kits, but also for shops or individuals that could turnkey the project for me. I expect to do "some" work on the car, but it would be engine related, not body, chassis or fitment. I'm looking forward to learning from what others have done with the 250 GTO, and thanks in advance for your input. John